Foothill soils are typically clay, decomposed granite, serpentine, decomposed schist, and/or very shallow rocky soils. This can present special challenges. Fortunately, many native species are adapted to these difficult conditions, especially those that are native to our county. It is possible to work with nature to create a beautiful home landscape rather than importing garden soil.
The trick is to emphasize plants in your garden that are native to your area of El Dorado County. For help finding those plants, use the plant search databases available at Calflora or CNPS Calscape.
Other websites
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If you look in a soil pit or on a roadside cut, you will see various layers in the soil. These layers are called soil horizons. The arrangement of these horizons in a soil is known as a soil profile. Image courtesy of the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
